Hand grenade



R. A. HUNTER HAND GRENADE June 5, 1934.

Filed Jan. 16, 1935 IN V EN TOR. im

A TTORNEY Patented June 5, 1934 Appiicaticn January 16 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in explosive devices, such as hand grenades, shells, bombs etc. which liberate tear-gas or other disabling gases when discharged.

Hand grenades as heretofore used by police, bank oiilcers etc. to disperse mobs, or to prevent the escape of robbers or bandits, lose their eniciency if not used within a certain length of time, due to the fact that most devices of that character maintain their contents under normally high internal pressure at all times; this makes it necessary to hermetically seal all openings in the container with Woods metal or other easily fusible material to prevent leakage or deterioration of the gases within the container.

One or" the objects of this invention is to provide an explosive device, which may be stored an indefinite length of time.

Another object of this invention is to provide an explosive device which will produce one or more varieties of disabling gases when discharged.

Another object of this invention is to provide an explosive device in which the disabling chemicals contained therein are hermetically sealed by a starting mixture.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an explosive device in which a starteruse completely surrounds the containers of the disabling chemicalsy thereby providing additional igniting places for the starting mixture, should the latter fail to ignite when discharged.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an explosive device with an easily destroyable seal placed'within the grenade body which closes the discharge openings in said body.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an explosive device, in which the disabling gases can not escape when removing the timefuse-head, also known as Bouchon-head, when prepared for shipping. For obvious reasons it is not permitted to ship hand grenades, bombs or other explosive devices which are provided with a time-use-head fully assembled, but it is required to ship these explosive devices with the time-fuse-head removed.

Many other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specication, and in which similar reference symbols indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional elevation of a hand grenade within the scope of my invention, partly in outline.

Figure 2 is an outline View of the hand grenade, showing the time-fuse-head in section with the grenade body partly removed.

Fig. 3 shows the construction of the starterfuse as used in my invention.

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross sectional view of a hand grenade built in accordance with my invention, taken on line 4 4, in Figure 1.

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of one of the containers of the disabling chemicals as used in my invention.

My invention comprises a body 1 consisting of a lower part 2 and an upper part 3. Said lower part 2 is preferably cup-shaped as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and provided with openings 4 to permit quick liberation of fumes or gases from the container, when discharged. The rim 5 of said lower part 2 is slightly enlarged for the reception of a similarly enlarged rim 6 of th upper part 3 of the body 1.

The upper part 3 is also cup-shaped and pro'- vided with holes 7 for the same purpose as heretofore described for the lower part 2 of the body 1. The top 8 of said upper part 3 is provided with a central aperture 9 into which is securely fastened the neck 10 in a manner as shown in Figure 1g or otherwise if so desired. The said neck 10 is provided with internal threads for the reception of the time-fuse-head 11 well known in the trade as Bouchon head. The top 12 of said timefuse-head is recessed to receive the primer 13, the lower part of which is in close proximity to the match-head 14 of the time-fuse 15. The bottom part of said time-fuse-head 11 is provided with a depending tube 16 in which said time-fuse 15 is placed and rictionally held in position (orv otherwise) as best shown in Figure 2 of the drawing. The lowermost end of said time-fuse 15 is provided with a match-head 17 which is positioned directly opposite the exposed end 18 of the starter-fuse 19.

Releasably attached to the time-fuse-head 11 is the handle 20 of well known construction, by means of which the grenade is thrown, after the cutter-pin 21 has been removed by means of the pull-ring 22. The instant the grenade is thrown the handle 20 nies off, thereby releasing the spring-tensioned striker 23 and striking the primer 13 thereby igniting the match-head 14 on the top of the time-fuse 15.

This time-fuse 15 fires the match-head 1'7 located on the bottom of said time-fuse 15 and in turn ignites the exposed end 18 of the starterfuse 19, which sets the starting mixture 25 on nre, causing an explosion, thereby readily destroying or melting the capsules 26 and due to the high temperature and pressure caused by the explosion the seals 27 and 28 burst, break or melt and the contents of the capsules 26 are converted into disabling gases, smoke, etc. and the latter are then forcibly and quickly expelled through the openings 4 and 7 of the container body l provided for this purpose.

Referring to Figures-3 and 4 of the drawing I have shown the starter-fuse 19 coiled around a series of capsules 26 which are lled with suitable chemicals which produce poisoning, asphyxiating or disabling gases, said chemicals consisting of, for example, mustard gas, diphenylamine chlorarsine (poison gases), or titanium tetra chloride (asphyxiating gas), or such as chloracetophenone (disabling gas) etc.

One or more varieties of chemicals may be used in the capsules 26 to produce one or more varieties of gases, but the chemicals are not commingled or saturated with other chemicals. This. fact greatly prevents deterioration of the chemicals thereby preservingthe contents of the hand grenades for an indefinite length of time.

Before placing the starter-fuse 19 in the lower part 2 of the body 1, the openings 4 in said lower part 2 are sealed by means of an easily destructible strip or ribbon 27 which is placed within the container and cemented to the inner wall of the container 1 in any suitable manner.

The capsules 26 and the starter-fuse 19 are imbedded in the lower cup 2 inV a manner as shown in Figures l and 4, by packing a jelly-like mixture, consisting of smokeless powder and Celluloid (called starting mixture, 25) or any other material suitable for the purpose, around said capsules 26`and said starter-fuse 19, leaving one end of said Vfuse slightly exposed as indicated by the numeral 18.

The upper part 3 of the`container is also provided with an easily destroyable band or ribbon 28 which seals the openings 7 in a similar manner as heretofore described for the lower part 2 of theA container body 1. The upper and the lower parts 2 and 3 respectively of the container body 1 are swaged over as indicated by the numeral 24.

'When using a hand grenade of the old type to disperse mobs etc., it loften occurs that the timefuse fails to immediately ignite the starting mixture for this reason, I have provided a starterfuse I9 of considerable length which is imbedded in said starting mixture 25 and which will, when ignited at its exposed end 18, burn and split or squirt fire until the starting mixture 25 also ignites, thereby bringing the contents of the grenade to an explosion. This explosion causes the seals 27 and 28 to break or melt and the disabling gases being expelled in violent streams from the nowropen holes 4 and 7 of the body 1.

When using disabling or irritating gases in the grenade, it is not intended to burst or destroy the grenade-body 1, for this reason the said sealed holes are provided for in said body, but should it be desired to use a deadly charge of chemicals in the grenade body, these sealed openings would not be provided for, and the force of the explosion would cause to burst or destroy the grenadebody.

The invention obviously obtains all of its intended objects and purposes with facility. The construction and relationship of the parts may be varied within equivalent limits and produced in different embodiments Wit-hout departure from the nature and principle of the invention. I do not restrict myself in any unessential particulars,

. but what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. In a device of the character described comprising a grenade body and a charge of gas producing chemicals contained therein, said chemicals being of different characteristics; a container for each of said different chemicals; a timefuse-head provided with a time-fuse and means to ignite said time-fuse; an additional fuse coiled around said chemical containers for each of said different chemicals and a starting-mixture packed around said additional fuse and said chemical containers.

2. In a device of the character described comprising a grenade bodyV provided with a plurality of sealed openings and a charge Yof disabling gas producing chemicals contained in said body, said chemicals being of different characteristics; a container for each of said chemicals'of different characteristics; a time-fuse-head provided with a time-fuse and means to ignite saidY time-fuse; a starter-fuse coiled around said chemical containers; a starting mixture packed around said starter-fuse and said chemical containers, and means to ignite said starter-fuse and said starting mixture.

3. In a device of the character described comprising a grenade body, said body formed with a plurality of openings, said openings sealed with a thin metallic covering from within said body and a charge of gas producing chemicals contained in said body, said chemicals being of different characteristics; a container for each of said diiTerent chemicals; a time-fuse-head provided with a time-fuse and means to ignite said time-fuse; a starter-fuse of considerable length coiled around said chemical containers; a starting mixture packed around said starter-fuse and said chemical containers and means to ignite said starter-fuse and said starting mixture, said chemical containers hermetically sealed by said starting mixture.

REX A. HUNTER. 

